Overburden at Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

Utah: Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine (largest open pit mine in the world actually the largest man made hole in the world) located 25-miles southwest of Salt Lake City.

May 29, 2007.

We spent the night with Cabella's I-15 exit 287 Lehi, UT about 25-miles south of Salt Lake City. Free with a dump station!

We stopped in this area so that I could visit Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine. Kennecott Utah Copper's Bingham Canyon Mine is one of Utah's most popular tourist attractions. There is a Visitors Center inside the mine that features informative exhibits and videos. Outside, from a viewing area, you can observe the operations of the world's first open pit copper mine.

Known as "The Richest Hole on Earth," this gigantic operation has yielded more than 17 million tons of copper metal, as well as vast quantities of gold, silver and molybdenum. It is the largest man-made excavation in the world.

Since open-pit mining began in 1906, more than 7 billion tons of material have been removed, creating a pit more than 3/4 of a mile deep and 2.5 miles wide. To put this in perspective the world's tallest building, the Sears Tower, 1454' tall, would reach only half way up the mine.

The mine was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1966 by the United States Department of the Interior and in 1972 by the National Park Service.

Overburden from Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

This huge pile of rocks is "overburden," useless rock that has been removed from the mine to get at the ore bearing rock. Fully 2/3 of the material removed from the mine is this overburden that has to be removed to access valuable ore bearing rock.

Back in 1906 when the Utah Copper Company and Boston Consolidated Mining Company began hauling ore that contained only 2% copper from Bingham Canyon to concentrators near the Great Salt Lake, they were ridiculed by mining men of the era who thought they could never make a profit mining such low-grade ore. Today, the companies that eventually became Kennecott Utah Copper hold a unique place in mining history. They created the world's first open-pit mine, and showed the mining industry how to make a profit mining low-grade ore.

Overburden from Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

More copper has been produced by Bingham Canyon than any mine in history. More than six billion tons of rock have been moved since the open pit was first started in 1906.

What you see here is the waste rock removed from the mine in order to reach the ore bearing rock. Folks, that is a mountain in itself and that is only a portion of what is visible from where we are taking this picture.

Overburden from Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

Turning the camera to look straight ahead and yet another mountain of waste rock is visible.

Overburden from Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

To the right of this large mountain of waste rock is other mountains of waste rock that continue for miles

More overburden from Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

Overburden from Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

More Overburden from Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

We have now entered the front gate to Kennecott's mine and are climbing up the side of this huge pile of waste rock to the lip of the mine. I say lip because at one point the road starts falling into the open pit that is the mine.

Overburden at Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

Here we are continuing our climb up to the lip of the mine.

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Until next time remember how good life is.

Mike & Joyce Hendrix